A new school housed inside Jersey City's Snyder High School is scheduled to open in the fall, and information sessions start tonight.

Two information sessions will be held this week on the new Innovation High School, a STEAM-themed school (Science,
Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math).

The new high
school, which will grow by one class each year, will serve about 450 students in grades 9-12 by the start of the 2017-18 school year.

District officials say the new school will provide “a nurturing environment and will ensure that all students will take college-level courses before they graduate high school" with "problem-based, interdisciplinary
learning experiences."

All Jersey City eighth graders are eligible to compete for admittance, and if there are more than 100 applicants, a lottery system will choose who attends.

The sessions are today, at School 17, 600 Bergen Ave. and on Thursday, at School 41, 59 Wilkinson Ave. Both sessions are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

This is not the first specialized school that will be housed inside Snyder. In 2010, the district created the Jersey City Arts High School, known as the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) program, which was previously held at New Jersey City University.

The move was part of a plan to turn Snyder and School 41, both failing schools, into art institutes. Snyder is now officially considered an academy for the arts.

At the school, students get opportunities like workshops with professionals like Jersey City native and Grammy and Tony nominee Reg E. Gaines. They also showcase their visual art annually at the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre.

This year the end-of-the-year art show will be held from May 31 to June 5, with an opening reception on June 3 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. More information here.